At the Mountains of Madness - Guillermo Del Toro's Next Project!

[Loki882]

I thought that it was Cameron, thanks for the confirmation. It's not like James freaking Cameron knows how to make movies that make tons of money, right.

 

[Xeno]

Damn you Hollywood. You give us hundreds of American Pie movies and Iron Man 3, but no At the Mountains of Madness? I sincerely hope that Hollywood receives the most exquisite torture possible. May Cthulhu rise from his sunken city and exact an unfathomable vengeance. Ia! Ia!

Iron Man 3 was not only a great movie but made over a billion at the box office, as well. The American Pie franchise made bank, too, despite not being to everyone's taste. At The Mountains of Madness would not make enough to justify the budget del Toro was seeking. That's sad, especially for us Lovecraft fans, but it's a niche project made even more of a tough sell by the R rating. Hollywood is not going to fund anyone's dream unless it's going to give a solid ROI.

 

[Loki882]

Iron Man 3 was not only a great movie but made over a billion at the box office, as well. The American Pie franchise made bank, too, despite not being to everyone's taste. At The Mountains of Madness would not make enough to justify the budget del Toro was seeking. That's sad, especially for us Lovecraft fans, but it's a niche project made even more of a tough sell by the R rating. Hollywood is not going to fund anyone's dream unless it's going to give a solid ROI.

And you know this for sure how exactly? Last time I checked, the movie was never made, so its impossible to know just how well it would or wouldn't have done.

 

[Octoberist]

If I was a betting man, I too think it wouldn't do so well either.

It really depends.

If it's over 100 million dollars to make and rated R based on the works of HP Lovecraft (which isn't everyone's cup of tea), I gotta say no.

 

[Teelie]

The budget would have to be within the reality of making a profit and it likely wouldn't at 100+ million like this. Which is a shame because it could've been a great movie.

 

[Octoberist]

Yeah the reason for the stall for this has been the budget; if GDT can bring it down to..90 million somehow then yes, then it can be made.

I just think this movie cannot be funded through the traditional Hollywood system. GDT needs the help of 'Legendary' or any other outside means, like Megan Ellison's Annapurna, etc.

 

[Piper Maru]

What is the latest news for AtMoM anyways? Last I heard Guillermo Del Toro was giving the movie one more push.

 

[GENERAL RAAM582]

Why not pull a kickstarter?

 

[Lord]

Does this film really need to cost 100 million?

 

[Doctor Jones]

Why not pull a kickstarter?

 

[Octoberist]

Does this film really need to cost 100 million?

According to GDt..yes.

 

[Piper Maru]

So who was cast for this movie? Tom Cruise and Ron Perlman?

 

[Loki882]

Having read the story, and how everything is described, the answer is definitely yes. Also, people seem to be rather presumptuous in claiming that this wouldn't do well, there's no evidence of that.

 

[Piper Maru]

Have faith people!

 

[Octoberist]

Having read the story, and how everything is described, the answer is definitely yes. Also, people seem to be rather presumptuous in claiming that this wouldn't do well, there's no evidence of that.

Well when a PG-13 movie about surefire concept of giant robots fighting monsters fail in the US (and thank God for the international market) you can't blame people for being a little skeptical of a Rated R HP lovecraft adaptation. I'm not faulting GDT or anything but the market is so weird and arbitrary that no ones right or wrong in this argument.

I would love GDT to make this film. I just want it to be true to his vision. I think the budget is standing in his way however.

 

[Rocketman]

People probably think this will end up like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein from 1994. Maybe that's where some of the lack of confidence come from. That movie had everything going for it, with a phenomenal cast (Robert DeNiro), awesome director (Kenneth Branagh), awesome writer (Frank Darabont), amazing art direction and set design.... and it was a mess.

That movie comes to mind simply because not a lot of movies of its kind have been made since (except for The Woman in Black).

- Horror movie
- Period piece
- Based on classic literature

^ That's a fatal combination - poison - in the mind of executives I imagine. Most (if not all) Horror movies take place now.

 

[redhawk23]

Does this film really need to cost 100 million?

A story about flying to Antarctica and exploring a giant system of ruins and encountering large shape shifting monsters? 100 million doesn't sound super unreasonable.

 

[Whiskey Tango]

Never forget: Universal chose to make RIPD instead.

Yeah that was definitely a good call.

 

[dark_b]

belive it or not but if the studio hears that the story starts in New York in 2013 and that they use modern technology yes then the budget will be thrown into Del Toro's hands. its all about modern times and New York with those producers.

what makes me so angry is that i know that the movie would underperform. so in a way i know why they didnt do it.

but there are 4-5 movies every year that look like bombs and they bomb.

 

[chamber-music]

Well next GTD is making Crimson Peak next which is a part period piece, part modern erotica r rated horror movie.

Sort of strange that even a movie like that would get the greenlight.

GDT should try to get Legendary and Cameron to finance the At the Mountains of Madness. Cameron has put his own movie into financing some of his films and Legendary aren't afraid to take a gamble. He might even be able to convince Hammer Horror to throw in a couple million towards the budget.

 

[Project862006]

i knew watchmen would under perform but snyder still got 150 million with an r rating and no name actors

even Prometheus got 130 and an r rating


studio's loss their balls

 

[Loki882]

You know why it might of underperformed, because certain people apparently "just know" that it would definitely have underperformed, despite having little evidence to back that belief up.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

In the Mountains of Madness would not gross 100+mil in China, it would have very little chance of doing as well as Pac Rim overseas as horror films don't do those kinds of numbers overseas. So at best if it's super duper lucky it hits 175-200mil overseas and 70-90mil domestically. That's not good enough to justify the 150mil budget and most likely a huge marketing spend.

I'm a fan of Del Toro but he has yet to have an unqualified success at the box office. Pac Rim's international gross turned a bomb into a disappointment, it didn't make it a hit film. He's not getting carte-blanche until he directs a domestic and international success.

 

[Lord]

People probably think this will end up like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein from 1994. Maybe that's where some of the lack of confidence come from. That movie had everything going for it, with a phenomenal cast (Robert DeNiro), awesome director (Kenneth Branagh), awesome writer (Frank Darabont), amazing art direction and set design.... and it was a mess.

That movie comes to mind simply because not a lot of movies of its kind have been made since (except for The Woman in Black).

- Horror movie
- Period piece
- Based on classic literature

^ That's a fatal combination - poison - in the mind of executives I imagine. Most (if not all) Horror movies take place now.

The Conjuring

To make this a hit they cold either go with the trying to scare route, and if scary enough it could make The Conjuring numbers, the other option is to make a film with great imagery and focus on the exploration and science fiction aspects, which could lead to Prometheus numbers, well, certainly not that big, but maybe in leasf of what that film made.

In the Mountains of Madness would not gross 100+mil in China, it would have very little chance of doing as well as Pac Rim overseas as horror films don't do those kinds of numbers overseas. So at best if it's super duper lucky it hits 175-200mil overseas and 70-90mil domestically. That's not good enough to justify the 150mil budget and most likely a huge marketing spend.

I'm a fan of Del Toro but he has yet to have an unqualified success at the box office. Pac Rim's international gross turned a bomb into a disappointment, it didn't make it a hit film. He's not getting carte-blanche until he directs a domestic and international success.

Which is why i think it's a real shame he walked off of The Hobbit, that film would have given him the key to make any of the movie projects he has planed come true.

I see many mentioning this book and Lovercraft's books as unflimable, i never read any of his books but going from the plot they look very exciting and easy to transition into films, i don't get it why there are not more adaptations of his works or Cthullu for that matter.

 

[dude stannis]

That movie comes to mind simply because not a lot of movies of its kind have been made since (except for The Woman in Black).

- Horror movie
- Period piece
- Based on classic literature

^ That's a fatal combination - poison - in the mind of executives I imagine. Most (if not all) Horror movies take place now.

Sleepy Hollow, Sweeney Todd and the aforementioned Conjuring don't agree with that. Besides, you could hide the 1930's setting pretty easily in the trailers.